Bottled Up

Teaching Artist Leon Anthony James discusses with students their screenplays on canners.

People all over New York City are pushing shopping carts full of bottles, but why? Where are they going with all those cans?

In the Fall of 2015, CUP collaborated with teaching artist Leon Anthony James and Sean Haberman’s Global History Regents Prep class at the Academy of Urban Planning in Bushwick, Brooklyn to find out more about the New York State Returnable Container Act, a.k.a. the Bottle Bill. This law was created to reduce litter and to encourage recycling, but how does it impact our communities?

To investigate, students created screenplays about the people known as “canners” who redeem 5 cents per bottle collected, then interviewed the co-founder and former canner of the Bushwick recycling center Sure We Can. They created this printed postcard to share what they discovered about the life of a bottle in their neighborhood.

Bottled Up debuted at the Academy of Urban Planning, where students presented the postcard, discussed their creative process, and explained the impact of canning.

What People are Saying

“CUP gave me the opportunity to learn about things that I never would have learned about in a typical classroom, like canners.” – Yahaira Rolon, student

“This project helped me think of the bigger picture. Projects like this open up people’s eyes to what’s really going on in their own neighborhood that not many people take the time to see.” – Dominic Tunstall, student

“One new skill I learned was how I can express my thoughts through drawing. The drawings we made can help people better understand the topic, especially for those who may not speak much English. It’s better for us and them.” – Deyanira Pinargote, student

Resources & Links

Funding Support

Support for this project was provided by the Bay and Paul Foundations, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.